Unlicensed Psychologist

SARA DEERING

***** **** ****** **. • Laguna Hills, California 92653

****.*******@*****.*** • 818-***-**** cell.

EDUCATION

Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA 09/2006-08/2011

Ph.D. Clinical Psychology

Boston University, Boston, MA 09/2002-05/2003

M.Ed. Counseling Psychology

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 08/1997-05/2002

B.A. Psychology

Double minors in Speech & Hearing Sciences and Near Eastern Studies

INTERNSHIP

Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, CA 07/2010-06/2011

Pre-Doctoral Psychology Intern

• Psychological screenings of newly admitted inmates, brief treatment of adjustment symptoms, crisis intervention, suicide/dangerousness risk assessment, long term & group therapy with single and dual diagnosis inmates, psychological assessment, and consultation with staff regarding inmate management concerns.

• Completed 3 rotations: 1. Trauma Recovery Program (co-facilitation of treatment program for females who have experienced sexual/physical abuse), 2. General Psychology Program - counseling with female inmates Axis I & II Disorders (Providing individual & group psychotherapy i.e. anger mgmt, stress mgmt, trauma recovery, & transitions services), 3. Counseling male detainees & female prison camp inmates.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Community Service Programs, Inc., Anaheim, CA 08/2008-07/2010

Counselor/Project Coordinator

• Provide counseling to specific students enrolled in the program.

• Interact with youth ages 8-12 that are at risk of joining a gang.

• Complete initial assessment and develop client service plan.

• Develop behavior contract for youth and parent(s).

• Meet with Team members (Principals, Anaheim PD Investigator, Orange County Deputy Sheriff, Senior District Attorney, and Probation Department) to identify students who are at risk of joining a gang.

• Facilitate TRIP (Truancy Reduction and Intervention Program) classes four times per school year.

• Facilitate parenting groups.

• Maintain student statistics with the TRAIN (Truancy Reduction Application Interface Web-based) data system. Input updates on a monthly basis.

• Report all program statistics to program evaluator on a quarterly basis.

• Assist in presenting gang awareness information to parents, faculty and students on a monthly basis.

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 03/2008-08/2008

Case Management Supervisor

• Completed intakes and initial assessments and developed Client Service Plans with the client, transition coordinator, and service coordinator.

• Reviewed progress notes submitted by transition and service coordinators.

• If needed, corrected progress notes and reviewed corrections with transition and/or service coordinator.

• Experience supervising required Medi-Cal documentation.

• Supervised two transition coordinators and two service coordinators.

• Provided weekly supervision of transition and service coordinator’s cases.

• Provided trainings on various mental illnesses to transition and service coordinators.

The Life Adjustment Team, Culver City, CA 09/2004-03/2008

Case Manager

• Provided individual case management to clients with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities in a specialized one on one session either in the office or community.

• Practiced skills necessary for problem solving, symptom management, and task completion, while giving support and feedback to client.

• Found creative ways to assist the client in meeting their basic needs while improving their social/interpersonal skills, participating in recreational activities, improving their

organizational skills, improving family relationships, developing educational and/or vocational resources, and developing a positive attitude.

• Submitted progress notes on each client on a daily basis.

• Facilitated and participated in meetings with the client’s family, psychologist, and/or psychiatrist when needed.

• Assisted clients in developing medication management skills and found creative ways for client to become independent and responsible for taking medication.

• Supervised other case mangers and gave support and feedback on a weekly basis.

• Six clients on my caseload “graduated” from the program due to successfully acquiring the skills necessary to become self-sufficient.

Portals House, Inc. (Mariposa Clubhouse), Los Angeles, CA 09/2003-09/2004

Service Coordinator

• Responsible for providing case management to individuals with mental illnesses some of whom who were recovering from drug/alcohol addiction.

• Helped in developing social, self-help, educational, and vocational resources.

• Assisted members in establishing and maintaining living arrangements, accessing healthcare, increasing productive social contacts, engaging in constructive positive activities, and facilitating members’ successful transition into the community.

• Appointed Housing Coordinator and assisted members who were homeless in obtaining affordable housing.

• Facilitated several groups, including a Women’s group, Money Management group, and Anger Management group.

• Responsible for a caseload of 40 members and made contact with each member every week.

• Responsible for billing 30 hours per week of contact time made with clients.

• Responsible for ensuring correct Medi-Cal and DMH paperwork.

• Updated supervisor and other service coordinators of each client’s progress in weekly supervision meetings.

Boston University, Boston, MA 09/2002-05/2003

Student Athlete Advisor

• Internship position while attending Boston University earning a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology.

• Responsible for organizing academic tutoring services, monitoring each student’s academic progress, assisting in academic scheduling, and providing other support services to ensure that each student athlete’s GPA was maintained above the minimum requirement for sport participation.

• Met with the student athletes on a weekly basis to discuss their classes, school workload, test, papers, as well as their sport activities.

• Attended several games to demonstrate continued support for each student.

• Met with Director of Student Athlete Services on a weekly basis to provide updates on each student and receive supervision.

Pacific Lodge Boys Home, Woodland Hills, CA 05/2002-08/2002

Counselor

• Interacted with 18 male youth of various socio-economic backgrounds, along with three other counselors. The youth had all been convicted of a crime(s) and in lieu of being placed in juvenile hall, were required to live at the boys home for varying time periods.

• Major daily responsibilities included: spending time assisting the boys with school work, family and social challenges, as well as running groups geared towards helping the youth cope with their current issues.

• Attended AA and NA meetings with the youth on a weekly basis.

• Transported youth to and from various appointments.

• Responsible for a caseload of six youth and met with them individually on a weekly basis.

• Wrote progress notes on each individual meeting.

• Participated in weekly case consultation meetings with all the counselors, a social worker, and psychiatrist.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Doctoral Dissertation

Deering, S. (2011). Forgiveness and Empathy in Victims of Domestic Violence and their Relationship with Spirituality. Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Master’s Thesis

Ashtiani, S. & Hamilton, L. (2003). How does the perceived time that 1st year student athletes spend on their priorities correlate with how they identify themselves? Master’s thesis, Boston University, School of Education.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 09/2000-05/2002

Volunteer Counselor

• Participated in Project SHINE, through the University of Arizona.

• Volunteered three times per week at a local school for underprivileged children.

• Spent time with 10 students ages 9-10 in an art class.

• Met with Master’s level student assigned to the group of volunteers for supervision.

• Spoke with students about their art project and listened to reasons why they chose a specific way of expressing their arts (sand box, chalk on cement, tree house, etc.)

TRAININGS

Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, CA 06/2011

Continuity of Care: A Foundation of Ethical Practice

Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, CA 05/2011

Preventing Inmate Suicide in the Bureau of Prisons

West Coast Children’s Clinic, Pleasanton, CA 04/2011

Children, Families, and Trauma: A Relational Approach

Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, CA 04/2011

Diagnosing a Substance Use Disorder

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 05/2010

Principles of Supervision

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 05/2009

Principles of Supervision

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 05/2009

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on Youth, presented by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 08/2008-10/2008

Mental Illness & Families, presented by the NAMI Provider Education Program

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 08/2008

Oppositional Defiant Disorder, presented by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 06/2008

Gang Prevention and Intervention Conference, presented by Vanguard University

Community Service Programs, Inc. Santa Ana, CA 03/2008

Over the Counter and Prescription Drugs

The Life Adjustment Team, Culver City, CA 04/2006

Borderline Personality Disorder, presented by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Pacific Lodge Boys Home, Woodland Hills, CA 06/2002

PART Training

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Psychological Association (APA), Graduate Student Affiliate

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS)

Association for Psychological Science (APS), Graduate Student Affiliate

National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD), Graduate Student Affiliate

California Psychological Association (CPA), Graduate Student Affiliate

HONORS/AWARDS

Boston University 05/2003

Cum Laude

Pacifica Graduate Institute 08/2009

Cum Laude

REFERENCES

Available upon request.

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